Is Gary Stevenson a billionaire in the LDS?

This article examines the question of whether Gary Stevenson, an LDS apostle, is a billionaire, contrasting modern LDS practices with the Torah-observant faith of Yeshua and the apostles concerning wealth.

Quick Answer

Is Gary Stevenson a billionaire in the LDS? Examining wealth in the Latter-day Saints. Quick Answer Quick Answer: While official LDS sources do not disclose the net worth of their apostles, including Gary Stevenson, reports from outside sources suggest significant personal wealth accumulated prior to or during their service. This accumulation of immense personal wealth…

Is Gary Stevenson a billionaire in the LDS? Examining wealth in the Latter-day Saints.

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: While official LDS sources do not disclose the net worth of their apostles, including Gary Stevenson, reports from outside sources suggest significant personal wealth accumulated prior to or during their service. This accumulation of immense personal wealth by LDS leadership stands in stark contrast to the Torah-observant teachings of Yeshua regarding riches and the early Hebraic Messianic community's communal sharing.

The Scholarly Case

The question of whether Gary Stevenson, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), is a billionaire, or indeed the significant wealth of any LDS leader, forces a critical examination of wealth accumulation within a religious framework. From a Hebraic-Messianic perspective, the pursuit and hoarding of vast personal riches, particularly by spiritual leaders, directly contradicts the foundational principles established in the Tanakh and reinforced by Yeshua of Nazareth and His emissaries. The Torah consistently emphasizes the proper use of wealth as a blessing from YHWH, intended for the sustenance of the community and the care of the less fortunate. Deuteronomy 8:18 states, "But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day." This wealth is not for personal aggrandizement but for the covenantal purpose of establishing justice and righteousness. The detailed instructions in Deuteronomy 15:7-11 regarding lending to the poor and the release of debts underscore a communal responsibility that stands against individualistic accumulation. The prophet Amos condemned those who exploited the vulnerable, declaring in Amos 5:11-12, "Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate." This prophetic voice is a direct challenge to any religious system that permits or encourages the amassing of extreme wealth while poverty exists among its adherents or in the broader society. Yeshua, the Messiah, unequivocally articulated a radical stance on wealth. He taught that "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). This was not a condemnation of wealth itself, but of the idolatrous grip it can hold over the human heart. Yeshua consistently warned against serving "both God and money" (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13), emphasizing that faithfulness in small matters of worldly wealth is a prerequisite for being entrusted with true riches (Luke 16:10-12). The early Messianic community, far from accumulating wealth, practiced a radical form of communal sharing. Acts 2:44-45 describes, "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need." This was the practical outworking of Yeshua's teachings, demonstrating a clear departure from the pursuit of personal riches. The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, further warned against the dangers of desiring wealth, stating that "those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:9-10). These are not isolated verses but a consistent theme throughout the Hebraic scriptures and the Brit Chadashah, forming a cohesive theological position against the accumulation of vast personal fortunes, especially by those who claim spiritual leadership. The focus of the Hebraic-Messianic faith has always been on righteousness, justice, and the care of the poor and needy, as exemplified by Yeshua's teachings and the actions of the early apostles who, like Peter, could declare, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" (Acts 3:6). This demonstrates a spiritual authority and wealth that transcends material possessions. Therefore, the question of an LDS apostle's billionaire status, while perhaps factually contested or undisclosed, fundamentally clashes with the core ethical and spiritual tenets of the original faith.

Adversary Teardown: lds.org

The official narrative presented by lds.org and its associated publications rigorously avoids any discussion of the personal wealth of its apostles, including Gary Stevenson. This silence is a deliberate obfuscation, designed to maintain an image of spiritual devotion untainted by material concerns. However, external financial reports and investigations have repeatedly highlighted the significant personal fortunes of many LDS leaders. For instance, reports from various financial news outlets, though not official LDS statements, have estimated Gary Stevenson's net worth in the hundreds of millions, largely stemming from his career as a co-founder of Icon Health & Fitness prior to his call as an apostle. This accumulation of immense personal wealth by LDS leadership represents a profound departure from the 1st-century Hebraic Messianic faith and even from the initial communal aspirations of the early LDS movement under Joseph Smith Jr. (1830). While Joseph Smith himself faced financial struggles and accusations, the institution he founded, particularly under Brigham Young (who led the church to Utah in 1847), began to develop structures that allowed for significant corporate and, by extension, individual wealth. The Adam-God doctrine, introduced by Brigham Young in 1852, further solidified a hierarchical structure that diverged from Yeshua's teachings on humility and service. The Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith published in 1830 as a new "stick of Joseph," explicitly condemns the accumulation of riches by religious leaders. For example, in Alma 1:16, it states, "And the priests were not to labor with their hands, but were to receive their support from the church." Yet, the text also warns against priests becoming "puffed up in the pride of their hearts" and seeking "for riches." This internal tension within the Book of Mormon itself highlights the inherent contradiction between its stated ideals and the reported financial realities of modern LDS leadership. Furthermore, the very premise of the Book of Mormon as a new scripture contradicts the explicit warnings in the Tanakh against adding to YHWH's word. Deuteronomy 4:2 commands, "You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you." Similarly, Proverbs 30:6 warns, "Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar." The Tanakh closes with Malachi around 430 BCE, providing no canonical opening for new American "sticks of Joseph." This foundational theological deviation allows for a tradition that can then rationalize practices, such as the accumulation of vast wealth, that are otherwise condemned in the established scriptures. Beyond the theological, the Book of Mormon itself is riddled with anachronisms that undermine its historical claims. Scholarly works, such as Michael Coe's "Mormons & Archaeology: An Outside View" (Dialogue, 1973), meticulously detail the lack of archaeological evidence for pre-Columbian horses, chariots, steel swords, wheat, barley, and silk in Mesoamerica prior to 1492, directly refuting claims made in the Book of Mormon. John Sorenson's apologetic attempts in "An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon" (1985) have been thoroughly rebutted by critical scholars like Brent Metcalfe and Dan Vogel, further exposing the textual and historical fault lines. Moreover, Simon Southerton's "Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church" (2004) decisively refutes the Lamanite-as-Hebrew claim through genetic evidence, showing Native American mtDNA points to Asian, not Semitic, origins. These demonstrable falsehoods in the Book of Mormon weaken the entire edifice upon which modern LDS practices, including the financial posture of its leaders, are built.

Counter-Arguments Anticipated

Objection 1: Wealth is a blessing from God, and successful business leaders are simply blessed.

This argument misconstrues the nature of divine blessing and the purpose of wealth. While Deuteronomy 8:18 acknowledges YHWH as the source of power to gain wealth, it explicitly links this to "confirm His covenant." The covenant is one of justice, righteousness, and care for the needy, not personal aggrandizement. The Tanakh, Yeshua, and the apostles consistently demonstrate that true blessing is measured by faithfulness to YHWH's commands and generosity, not by the size of one's personal fortune. Isaiah 58:6-7 defines the fast YHWH chooses as one that breaks chains of wickedness, unties yokes, sets the oppressed free, and shares bread with the hungry. This is the measure of a blessed life, not the accumulation of billions while others suffer.

Objection 2: These leaders accumulated their wealth through legitimate business before their church service; it's not church funds.

While an individual's past financial success is distinct from church funds, the issue is not the source of the wealth but its retention and magnitude for a spiritual leader. Yeshua's teachings on wealth make no distinction between "pre-service" or "post-service" riches. His warnings against serving money (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13) and the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom (Matthew 19:24) apply universally. The example of the early Messianic community (Acts 2:44-45) demonstrates a radical reorientation away from personal wealth, regardless of its origin, towards communal sharing for the sake of the Body. A leader who retains vast personal fortunes, even if legitimately earned, fails to embody the spirit of self-sacrifice and poverty of spirit that Yeshua exemplified and taught.

Objection 3: The Book of Mormon supports righteous wealth and prosperity as a sign of God's favor.

This interpretation selectively ignores the Book of Mormon's internal condemnations of pride and the love of money, particularly among religious leaders (e.g., Alma 1:16). More critically, the Book of Mormon itself is not a legitimate source of divine revelation. Its numerous historical and archaeological anachronisms, as detailed by scholars like Michael Coe ("Mormons & Archaeology: An Outside View", Dialogue, 1973), and the refutation of its Lamanite claims by DNA evidence (Southerton, "Losing a Lost Tribe", 2004), render it an unreliable foundation for theological claims. Furthermore, the very existence of a new scripture contradicts the explicit warnings in Deuteronomy 4:2 and Proverbs 30:6 against adding to YHWH's words, thereby invalidating its authority from a Hebraic perspective. The true measure of YHWH's favor is faithfulness to the Torah and Yeshua's teachings, not material prosperity.

Position Lock

Position Lock: The accumulation of vast personal wealth by religious leaders, as is reportedly the case with figures like Gary Stevenson within the LDS, directly contradicts the Hebraic-Messianic teachings of Yeshua, the prophets, and the apostles, which consistently condemn the love of money and advocate for communal sharing and justice for the poor, not personal enrichment.